Spend vs Average Speed on new bike?

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Slaav

Guru
So, having been seen off by an admittedly much fitter chap on a sexy blingy bike at the weekend, I was wondering if i upgraded my pikey bike to a blingy one, would that (and ignoring fitness improvements etc) give me an extra 1, 2 or 17 mph average speed? :smile:

So, get off my Allex triple on to (eg) a mid range carbon with 105 or Ultegra, would that extra (eg) £1500 give an extra 0.3, 0.9, 1.5 etc mph?

What do you reckon? Obviously, I am not simply trying to buy extra speed but just want to make my extra speed more 'attainable' and get up to approaching 20mph average if at all possible.....

Any ideas or pointers? (Aside from teh obvious MTFU!)
 

Hacienda71

Mancunian in self imposed exile in leafy Cheshire
It will make very little difference. It may feel nicer to ride but in terms of speed an Allez will not be much slower than a three grand Cervelo. If you have the money go for it, just don't expect to turn into Wiggins if you buy a Dogma. Improved wheels and tyres on your existing bike will probably make the most noticeable difference to your speed imho. Oh and improving your fitness.
 

Crimmey

Well-Known Member
Location
Middleton
Free speed hey.... learn how to maximise your momentum (using the least amount of energy) and positioning on the bike ( more aero). Unfortunately the other guy is right, buying all the gear will make little difference. Even tyres and wheels make less of a difference than people think. It'll take lots of hard ( and structured) work.
 

Zakalwe

Well-Known Member
Depends a lot on your ego. You may find yourself less willing to have a slow day on an expensive bike, getting overtaken by all the other Allez riders while on your new bike can be a wonderful incentive to pedal a bit harder ;)
 
It's mostly in the head. Lighter bike and lighter wheels will make a difference but won't take you from a 17mph average to a 20mph average. The only things that will do that are a better aero position and lots of effort and patience to improve your overall fitness levels.
 

Rob3rt

Man or Moose!
Location
Manchester
I think the best way to get faster....... is to join a club*. I have been riding regularly for about 3 year's now and while I used to train and ride hard on my own, I did stagnate progress wise, I joined a club and now I am going from strength to strength. Nothing makes me push harder than hanging off the back of a group desperately trying to stay in contact with a quick group while dying a thousand deaths. You might not be going your fastest at that moment, but by god does that intense effort lead to notable gains in a very short time! It is not going to turn you into a racing machine in a month but it will develop you as a rider if you find yourself the right group of people to ride with.

*Works for me, some people like to ride solo!
 
What you can't see is the amount of work the "much fitter" guy has done to get in that condition.

It's a combination of getting the body used to working harder and building up the muscle and improving muscle memory so that you can ease off the output slightly to go a lot further.
 

Zakalwe

Well-Known Member
I think the order of importance goes a bit like this:

Fitness >> Body position >> clothing >> Bicycle >> Wheelset
 

Hacienda71

Mancunian in self imposed exile in leafy Cheshire
I think the order of importance goes a bit like this:

Fitness >> Body position >> clothing >> Bicycle >> Wheelset

Unless it is a BSO I would change wheelset and bike around. Clothing is important but buying Assos instead of Altura isn't going to make any difference to your speed, although wearing lycra instead of baggies will help.
 

Zakalwe

Well-Known Member
Well, it's just a general rule of thumb rather than specific aero, weight or cost etc analysis. In terms of aerodynamics, frame is less important than wheelset but neither are as important as having close fitting clothing. In terms of weight, clothing is less important than the frame and wheels. Cost is completely irrelevant and dependant on the rider, but a tightly fitted Aldi carrier bag would be preferable to a 3 sizes too big Assos jacket with the zip undone.
 
Riding Position, type of bike, weight of bike & tyres are probably more important than cost of bike, all after your ability/fitness & your weight.

I average 10mph on my 22kg off-road expedition bike, I average 15mph on my 12kg road bike (with pannier rack) (average increasing each time I get out on the bike). One cost £2,500, the other £300. guess which one is the slower one.
 

Robwiz

Regular
I agree with the consensus. There are lots of minor and inexpensive tweaks that can help build confidence in your fitness and your determination to push harder and find more speed and distance.

Things like shoes and pedals, lower rolling resistance tyres and having a proper bike fit to get the best position can all have a positive mental effect. Having a GPS computer to track your heart rate, cadence and speed also helps.

Asking the question about a more expensive bike flags up the need to first optimise what you've already got. I picked up on a piece of advice from an Olympic cyclist this summer that I found helped me increase my average speed by 2 mph by changing my mental approach. I then went out with a former Cat 3 rider and by hanging on desperately to his rear wheel it helped me find a few more mph that I didn't know I could sustain.
 
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OP
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Slaav

Guru
Oh bu66er. Sounds like I can get a few increases by spending a 'few' £; and get loads more by MTFU?
 
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